Bruises
by slowlysinking13
Summary: Chandler is a regular 18 year old senior, trying to enjoy life with a mother who is trying to detox from an achohol addiction. Her best friends are a YouTube famous band, and her boyfriend, Derek, is the most popular guy in Sydney. But complications rise when Luke attempts to save Chandler from Derek. Little does she know that Luke is really saving her from herself. feat. 5SOS
1. Jaws, First Aid, & Vegemite

"Awaaaahhhhhhhhh!" you let out a wail. You clutch your jaw, it's throbbing. "Oh my gosh! Chandler, I'm so sorry! Are you okay?"

Your best friend, Luke, rushes to you and lays you on the couch. He pries your hand away from your jaw. "Oh my god, Luke, what did you do?" Calum asks, rushing into the kitchen to grab a bag of ice.

"I was just messing around with Michael. And I accidentally collided my fist with her jaw." Luke says. Cal rushes back in with a jar of Vegemite. "This is all we had," he explains, gently pressing it to your jaw. You whimpered and clung to Luke's hand, squeezing it tightly.

"Why does your mother have frozen Vegemite?" Ashton asks, looking at Cal and laughing, breaking the tension. "Mate I don't know, but it's a good thing she does, we were all out of frozen crap," Cal replies.

"Here, Cal, move the jar," Luke says, moving it out of the way so he can see your swollen jaw and cheekbones.

"Oh my god, it's purple and black! Chand, it looks like my hair!" Michael exclaims, jumping back a little. Your face crumples, and you feel tears threatening to spill out of your eyelids. "Michael. Will you please shut up? Go find something useful to do. Go grab the first aid kit," Ashton orders, looking at you sympathetically. "Aw, Chand, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. I-It doesn't look too bad, I promise."

"It's okay, Michael," you say. Except with the Vegemite jar against your jaw and Luke hovering over your mouth with his hands and the pain and numbness, it came out like, "Mits jokey rifle," and Luke and Calum laugh at you. Michael leaves and returns with the first aid kit, pulling out some gel for swelling and bruises. "Here, let me put this on. Chand, this is gonna hurt a little bit," he says.

He rubs the gel gently onto your jaw and you let out another wail. "Oh, god, please don't make noises, I feel like I'm killing you. I feel terrible."

Michael quickly finishes up your jaw job and you sit up to go lay on the guest bed, but Luke holds you down and all four of them refuse to let you move. "Vut myn so bummunforble," you garble.

"What?" Calum asks you, his eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "She said she's so uncomfortablene," Luke explains, and you nod. "It's a good thing you can speak broken jaw, because I sure can't," Cal responds. You giggle, then groan. It hurt to move your mouth.

"Here, I'll drive you home. Ashton, can you grab her and put her in the car?" You begin to protest, then stop. It hurt to move your mouth and you needed rest. The guys seemed to think your jaw affected your legs, though, and that wasn't the case. You let Ashton slip an arm under your knees and one behind your back. You wrap your arms obediently around his neck and he carries you to Luke's beat up '74 BMW.

You wrinkle your nose at the car that Luke loved so much. It was so ugly. "Here, be careful," Ashton says as he sets you in the car. Luke follows you in and starts up the car. He drives you to your house and you hurry and make it to the front door. He runs up and stops you, gently pulling you into a hug.

"Chand, you gotta know that I didn't mean it, I'm really sorry." You try to smile at him, to let him know all was forgiven. He left, and promised to see you at school the next day. You step inside the house, and look at your mom.

She was sprawled on the couch, probably in a hangover. A bottle of aspirin was on the coffee table, and beside it were at least eight beer bottles. You tiptoed up the stairs to your room, and lay on the bed. You fell asleep, your head throbbing in time with your jaw.

You woke up to hear your mom whimpering loudly. You stumble downstairs, and sit beside her on the couch and begin to hold her in your lap and massage her temples. Your mom was a wimpy drunk, much to your relief. She wasn't abusive. She was needy and whiney and very vulnerable. Her hangovers happened at least only once every three weeks.

You retrieve a water bottle from the spotless kitchen, and help her drink it and she finally looks closely at you and her mouth gapes open at your jaw.

"Chandler, sweetheart, what happened?" You opened your mouth to respond, but you see your mom's eyes take on a horrified look, they film over with tears and she whispers, "Chandler, I didn't do that to you, did I?" You violently shake your head and your mom sighs in relief. She asks you what happened.

You form the words carefully with your mouth, exercising your still very swollen jaw. "Luke a-ahand Michayl were plahing around ahand Luke got me. By accidahnt."

Your mom chuckled sympathetically and gently strokes your jaw with one finger and then tells you to go back to bed. You nod and retreat to your room, falling into your bed.

You looked at the ceiling and contemplated on what you were going to do about Derek. You shook your head, and images flashed behind your eyes of Luke's fierce, angry expression and the way his blue eyes turned to ice whenever Derek was around or mentioned.

You couldn't understand what Derek had ever done to Luke, but it was obviously something terrible. Luke tried to protect you from your boyfriend as much as possible, and it honestly worried and annoyed you. You fell asleep shaking your head in confusion.


	2. That's What Michael Said

You skillfully weave in and out through the flow of bodies coming at you in the opposite direction. Your black little-girl's hoodie is not doing a good job of covering up the ugly purple & black bruise that is prominent on your jaw.

Several people looked at you in surprise, and you heard whispers about your mom being abusive and Derek hurting you. Someone grabbed your arm and you quickly looked over, to see Michael pulling you toward a hallway.

"Here, Chandler, this will be a better cover up," he says, handing you his giant over sized black hoodie. You quickly shoved it on and pulled Michael into a hug. "Thanks, Mikey," you say, turning around to run into a brick wall that wasn't there five seconds before. It was your boyfriend.

"Oh, hey Derek," you say brightly, and he smiles until he sees your jaw. "Chandler, babe, what happened?" he asks, and your stomach feels fuzzy. He was being so caring.

"I mean, you look like...like...I don't know. You look bad. That bruise is the color of Michael's hair." All the color aside from the bruise drained from your face. "That's what Michael said," you say, your voice incredibly wobbly. Derek grimaced.

"Maybe you should use some makeup to do something with that...that...discoloration. How did it even happen, Chand?"

"Oh, just Luke and Michael were playing around and I accidentally got in the range of Luke's fist."

Derek rolls his eyes. "Why do you even hang out with that Luke kid? You know he hates me, Chand."

Your temper flared up. But the bell rang, and you didn't have time to say anything to him. You made your way to fourth period in the dark privacy of Michael's hoodie.


	3. Why Derek?

"Attention! Homecoming is in just two weeks! Nominations for King & Queen come out today! Look on the Fine Arts Bulletin for results!" Everything else that your principle announced in the following five minutes was tuned out as you began dreaming of Homecoming. You already had a dress picked out, Luke & Cal had come with you to get it. All you had to do was make it into nominations. You were 99.9% positive you and Derek had made it onto the list. Everybody knew Derek. Everyone loved Derek. Except Luke. And Calum, a little bit. Okay, Michael and Ash weren't his biggest fans, either. But you shake that off. It didn't matter. Derek was perfect for you. You were the perfect couple, you heard it almost every day. People whispered about it in the halls all the time. It was a well known fact that you were both the exact match for each other, destined. So why did it feel so wrong sometimes? You made it to the bulletin during lunch, and crowded around the paper, squeezing in through the bulge of students swarming around it. You searched and immediately found Derek's name. But yours was nowhere in sight. Your heart sinks to your toes. What? By eighth block, you're feeling like total poop, and just want to run to Luke's and cry on the couch. You received a text message and grimaced when you saw it was from your boyfriend.

Derek: Chand, don't worry about the HC thing. Everything'll be fine.

"Oh, I'm not worried. I'm infuriated," you mutter, typing back a short reply.

Oh it's no big deal.

Derek: That's my girl.

You roll your eyes and stand up to leave the classroom after the sounding of the bell. You make it to your car and drive straight to Luke's, barging through the door and into the kitchen, sitting down across from Liz with a huff. "Oh. Dear. What's the matter, now, Chandler?" You look straight at Liz, into her ocean blue eyes. They reminded you of Luke, with his identical eyes and messy blonde hair. You sigh, and your lip starts to tremble. "Are you sure you don't want to take up this spill with Luke? He should be home any-" The sound of the front door slamming resounds through the house. "Mum, is Chand he- oh." Luke stands in the doorway of the kitchen and sees you and simply opens his arms. You hold out your own arms but you're positive if you stand up, you'll fall. He takes two quick strides with his long legs, and pulls you up into a hug. You lean against him, using his frame as a support. Your body gives away from all the stress and anger of the day. He leads you to the couch in the living room and nestles you into the crook of his arm. "Tell me what happened. Is this because of homecoming?" You start nodding, then slowly begin to shake your head. "I-I don't know. I think it might be...Derek." The last word was a whisper. Luke was silent. You looked up at him. His eyes had done the thing. They'd taken over an icy look. They weren't the ocean blue anymore. They looked stony, and hard. "Derek. Why Derek?" he whispered back, his eyes taking on an agonizing look. Like it cut him to the very heart when he said the name. You cringed.


	4. You Can't Leave Me

You quickly slump into a desk during fourth period and hurry to disappear into Michael's black hoodie, something that's been your constant companion these past few days. The bruise on your jaw was still severely purple.

You grimaced. It was only a week ago you would vibrantly walk into class and sashay to this desk.

You hear the usual whispers about "Derek putting Chandler Erickson into her place. No one messes around with Derek Richards..." and the constant "abusive alcoholic mother," comments. You roll your eyes.

There honestly was no place you hated more than this high school, it was a dump for a bunch of steroid-injected jocks, stuck up, self conceited cheerleaders, and disgusting plastic Barbie & Ken couples.

You hurry to lunch, absentmindedly bumping into at least five people you used to consider your "friends." Nara Patton, head cheerleader, gave you a weird look, like she didn't know who you were. One of Derek's friends, Jason, just shook his head in what looked like disappointment. What? That you weren't a pristine, cleaned up, pretty-to-look-at Victoria Secret Angel anymore? Shallow.

You sat down outside under a tree by yourself, hoping no one would notice you. Unfortunately, someone did. They sat down beside you, making themselves comfortable. The long, lanky, skinny-jean clad legs gave Luke away.

"Why is the famous Miss Erickson still eating by herself in her friend's depressing oversized hoodie? Shouldn't she be socializing again, by now?"

You shook your head, still homed in on your Vegemite and pickle sandwich.

"Chand, I got some news."

You sat still, waiting for him to go on.

"I'm leaving soon, in two days actually. I won't be here for three weeks."

Something inside you snapped. Your head shoots up, and you look straight into his eyes. "Why?" you ask, your voice cracking. "Family vacation. Bahamas." Luke explains quietly.

You shook your head.

"I'm really sorry, Chand. I really wish I could be here for you. I know it's really hard, all this stuff you're going through right now. But I promise you, if something...anything...happens...with D-Derek. You need to call me a-and-,"

You looked up at Luke again, to see his eyes...the one's usually so blue and happy, now filmed over with tears of his own. You shake your head.

"L-Luke, why are you crying?" you ask, your own voice wobbling.

"Chandler, I'm so scared for you." he whispers.

You frantically search his face, and start to panic.

"Why? Why should you be scared? Luke, I need to know."

He just shook his head.

You close your eyes and breath. This was about Derek. Luke knew something about Derek and he was scared for you. Something was up, and you needed to be told. Now.

"Luke. I need to know. What is it about Derek that is so freaking bad?"

Luke sits still for a few moments, and you simply stare at him. He looked so vulnerable. He didn't look as if he was breathing. He seemed completely still, and frail. He didn't look like Luke Hemmings at all.

"Derek is dangerous, he's not safe," he said quietly, not allowing his voice to shake at all. He looked up and his eyes had turned into ice.

You took in a sharp breath, knowing that Luke wouldn't lie to you about something like this.

"You can't leave me," you whisper.

The bell rang.


	5. Forget You, Luke

You looked around, noticing the many bodies swarming through the Sydney Intl Airport, and grimaced. Everybody paid attention to themselves, without acknowledging others. You were sick of it.

Nobody cared about anyone else anymore. What was wrong with the world?

You turned your attention back to the Hemmings family and gave Liz, Andrew, & Jack faint smiles. Luke was still in security, and you had a special glare reserved for him. He walked out and gave your mom a hug.

"Bye, Ms. Erickson. Thanks for seeing us off," he said, smiling.

My mom grinned at him. She loved Luke. Like her own son. She was Liz's closest friend, and she scolded Luke, and she did most of his spanking when the two of you were younger.

Liz was just as strict with you as a toddler.

Luke turned to you and winced when his eyes made contact with your own. He hugged you, and you couldn't physically restrain yourself from hugging him back.

You clutched at his flannel, and buried your face into his shoulder. He tightened his grip on you, and whispered "bye, Chand," into your ear. Then it hit you.

Luke was leaving you. For a stupid vacation in the Bahamas. Anger surged back up inside you.

You didn't know what to say to him. You were so filled with frustration and panic and who knew what else.

You just clung to him. Half of you wanted to cling to him forever and never let the six foot dork go, the other half wanted to punch him in his gut and tell him to get lost; you never needed him anyways.

The sounds of the airport buzzed around the two of you, but you blocked it out. It was just you and the only warm, loving protection you had ever known.

"Luke, we have to go. I'm sorry." Liz interrupted. Luke squeezed you one more time and whispered "bye."

The anger overpowered you and you simply whispered back, "Forget you, Luke," and abruptly tore yourself from him. You walked away hastily, hot tears stinging your green eyes.

"Chandler! Chandler Erickson, get back here!" You heard your mom yell. You didn't turn back. You made your way out of the terminal and sat outside on the curb.

Now you felt like a spoiled brat. Or a depressed jerk. Either one fit you perfectly. Ooh, better yet: pissed off best friend.

You waited a couple minutes before your mom joined you on the curb outside the terminal.

"Chandler Violet Erickson, what in the name of all things holy possessed you to speak to your best friend like that back there?!"

You shook your head. She wouldn't get it. And she couldn't know about Derek. That would cause her to worry. And she didn't have the best strategy for dealing with worry.

"I'm sorry, mum, it's just that Luke and I are in a little fight."

"A little fight? It didn't seem like there was any fight when you were both clinging on to each other like he was going to some battle field in Afghanistan and never coming back. What is going on?"

"I'm telling you, mum, it's just a fight. It's no big deal."

"You should've seen the look on Luke's face when you said what you did. Go and look him in those watery eyes of his and say it's no big deal. You've ruined his vacation, Chandler."

You shook your head once more.

"Believe me, mum, if Luke was worried about what I had said, he would've stayed and talked through it with me, Bahamas flight or no."

"Chandler, just remember that Luke can't help some of his choices, he's human. He's not gonna be perfect."

You nodded absentmindedly as you followed her to the car.

The drive home was completely silent.


	6. Thanks, Gordon!

"Hey, Chandler, it's me. Michael. Well you probably already knew that. But um...well. If you could give me a call, that would be fantastic. Just wanted to check up on you...love ya. Bye."

You couldn't help but smile at Michael's very awkward and simple voice mail.

But you didn't feel like answering it right now. You sighed and rolled over. The clock on your phone read 11:07, and you probably needed to get out of bed.

You made it to the kitchen, and found a bright pink sticky note on the fridge.

 _Hey Chand, don't worry about getting up, you can be lazy today. Won't be home til 9:30, there's some money on top of the microwave if you wanna go somewhere with the boys. Love you, Mum_

Well, there was no way you could fall asleep now, so you grabbed a pop tart and stuck it in the toaster as you dialed back Michael.

"Hey!" he picked up on the third ring.

"Hey, Clifford. What's up?"

"Not much. I was wondering how you were hanging in there. Without Luke, I mean."

"I'm fine," you lied, trying to sound as cheery as possible.

"Oh, that's good...hey, what are you doing today?"

"Absolutely nothing. What about you?"

"Our agendas must be psychic. Wanna go to a movie?"

"Sure. Give me thirty minutes."

"I'll be there. See ya."

"Love you, bye."

You stopped short as you ended the call. Did you just say 'love you?'

It wasn't like it was a big deal, you said it to all four of the boys almost daily, but still. It seemed different to just Michael. And on the phone. Without Luke there.

You shook thoughts of the blue eyed, blonde haired Aussie boy out of your mind and raced upstairs with your pop tart. You slipped on some ripped up jeans that you had bought with Calum last week, much to your dismay.

Calum had convinced you to buy them, saying they made you look less "girl," and more, "punk." You pulled on a bandeau and a Pink Floyd sleeveless. Shoving your feet into some Converse, you snag another bite of pop tart before throwing it in the trashcan and brushing your teeth. You did a quick crimping job on your hair and swiped at your eyelashes with a tube of mascara. Done.

The doorbell rang and you looked around. Michael's hoodie hung limply on the back of your desk chair, and you thought before grabbing it. You looked quickly in your full-length mirror.

Today was the first day you had put effort into your appearance since the accident. Your mind raced back to three days before, when Luke had left. You had felt like a blob in sweatpants. You hadn't even bothered to throw on a shirt under Michael's hoodie.

You snapped yourself out of it and snagged the hoodie, galloping downstairs.

You opened the door, and Michael smiled. "Sorry it took so long," you apologize.

"No big deal. You look...really nice, Chand."

"Thanks, Gordon," you giggle.

Michael rolls his eyes at you and begins to tickle your torso. "Okay! Okay!" you gasp. "No more calling you by your middle name!"

He escorts you to his car, satisfied. You swing in, and he shuts the door. You pull on the hoodie before he makes it around the drivers seat.

"You know, the bruise is really healing up. You can barely see it now."

You nod. "I know...but..."

Michael looks at you. "What? What is it?"

"Could I keep the hoodie? Please?"

He gives you a questioning look.

"It just...it makes me feel...safe." you finish.

Michael's face softens and he nods.

"Of course you can keep it. I can't think of anyone who needs it more."

You smiled.

"So, which movie are we seeing?"


	7. I Like It When You Smile

***Note- I do not own the lyrics to the song in this chapter, & the characters aren't mine, neither do they actually write this song. The song belongs to All Time Low.***

You sigh and flip onto the couch. It was only 4:15. Michael looked down at you.

"You look like you're taking this too harshly. Are you sure you're okay without Luke here?" he asks you.

"I'm fine, really," you say, hoping to convince him. He nodded slowly. As if he still didn't believe you but he was gonna let it drop.

"Call Ashton. And Cal. We should all go to Nando's or something. I have money." You looked up at Michael, with puppy dog eyes, pleading him. He grinned.

He called Calum. "Hey Cal!" you called out happily. "Hullo, Chandler! What's the dealio?"

"Well me and Michael are bored," you respond.

"Uh-oh," Calum says, giggling mischievously. You blush bright red and Michael laughs and pulls you into his chest, where you hide from no one but yourself.

"I was just kidding, Chand. What's up? Did you want to do something today?"

"Actually, I wanted to go to Nando's, we could work on a new song or something."

There was silence on the other end of the line, and you grimaced.

"Calum?"

"Without Luke?"

You looked at Michael, who's green eyes were unreadable. He shrugged.

"Yes. Without Luke," you respond.

"O-okay. Meet me and Ash there in about 15 minutes."

You and Michael jumped into the car after you'd had snatched the money from the microwave.

The drive was silent. You looked at Michael, and he glanced over at you. "So, what do you have in mind for the song plot?"

You grinned, "it doesn't sound punk rock, I know, but trust me, it's gonna be great. It's a Peter Pan theme."

Michael scrunches his nose as you pull into Nando's. "I'm trusting you big time on this one, Chandler."

You meet Ashton and Calum at the front, and make your way to a booth as you hug them both hello. Ashton held you tightly, squeezing you and asking how things were.

"I'm doing fine, thanks." you respond cheerily. You felt terrible for lying straight through your teeth.

"So," Michael says after taking a huge bite of chicken, "what's the gist of this Peter Pan song?"

"Peter Pan?" Calum flinches at the sound of a Disney character as he pulls out the song notebook.

"Yeah just listen," you say, clearing your throat.

 _'Wendy run away with me_

 _I know I sound crazy don't you see what you do to me?_

 _I wanna be your lost boy_

 _Your last chance_

 _A better reality yeah_

 _Wendy we can get away_

 _I promise if you're with me_

 _Say the word and we'll find a way_

 _I can be your lost boy_

 _Your last chance_

 _Your "everything better" plan_

 _Oh, somewhere in Neverland!'_

Calum squeals. "Was it really that good?" you laugh.

"It was better than good. It was great! Luke wrote a couple verses in here like two months ago that goes perfectly with that chorus! Listen,"

 _'Say goodbye to the halls and the classes_

 _Say hello to the job and the taxes_

 _Weekends with old friends, spilling into nine to five routines_

 _Tell me how you feel over and done with_

 _Like your life is a map with no compass to guide_

 _At the bar drinking way too much we sing along to Forever Young'_

"And I was thinking, if you come up with a third and fourth verse, Chandler, I'll look for a transition in between second and fourth verses and the chorus."

"But I think I already have it. Luke and I were thinking on them before he left," you say, ignoring the gut wrenching feeling that accompanied speaking his name.

"Let's hear it," Ashton prods.

 _'We'll start a life of the plain and the simple_

 _With greater things and far better people_

 _Weekends with our friends laughing at the wine that stains their teeth...'_

You grappled with your brain, trying to freelance the last verse.

 _'We'll talk about how your parents separated and_

 _How you don't wanna make the same mistakes as them  
_

 _I'll say it's all about staking it out and trying to feel forever young!'_

Ashton claps quietly.

"I've got the hook. Here," Calum slides you the notebook.

 _'So here we go again, wishing we could start again!'_

You smile. "Writing songs makes me happy. It takes my mind off of-" you stop.

You were so close to saying his name. "of stuff," you finish, saving yourself.

Calum smiles at you. So does Ashton.

"I'm glad you're feeling better, Chand. I like it when you smile," Michael remarks.


	8. Trying To Feel Forever Young

Your phone dings and you sigh. You look at Michael and Ashton, who have fallen asleep on your couch. It's 9:26 and your mom should be home any minute.

You unlock the screen to see a message from Luke. You almost immediately delete it, but it's too hard to resist.

Hey, Chandler.

I don't exactly know how you feel about me rn, and I'm taking the liberty of saying I have every right to be confused, after your "goodbye" at Sydney Intl. I hope you're okay, and I hope you haven't been spending too much time with Derek.

That's not why I texted you. I texted you to let you know that yes, I'm hurt and confused, and yes, if you're wondering or if you even care, I still love you and consider you to be my best friend.

I don't know if you care about when I get back, either, but it's August 25. And I won't be looking for anyone else at Sydney Intl. when I arrive. Love you, give my love to your mum and the boys.

Luke xx

You don't realize that you're sobbing until Michael puts his arm around you and pulls you into him. You cave and cry into his shirt, completely drenching the t-shirt.

"Shh. It's gonna be alright."

You continue to cry, even as your mum walks through the front door. Michael just looks at your mum. And she nods.

"Michael, the blankets and extra pillows are in the hall closet. Goodnight," she whispers.

You continue to quietly cry, letting the bottled up anger and sadness that had torn at you for the past four days out.

"Hey, Chand. Look at me." Michael whispers. You obey him, lifting your tear stained face up to him, and he grins cheekily as he wipes a thumb under each eye. You look down and his thumb comes away streaked black.

"Hey, girl. Everything's gonna be alright. I don't know about you, but I remember you singing today about your parents separating and how you don't wanna make the same mistakes as them. Staking it out and trying to feel forever young. Right?"

You looked into Michael's emerald green eyes. He was on to something.

"Y-you mean, you don't want me and Luke ending our friendship, and ruining everything, and that I should try and be brave right now, and respond to his text like a big girl?"

Michael nodded. You slowly pulled out your phone and typed:

Luke,

Idk exactly how I feel about you rn either, tbqh, and I'm really sorry for how I treated you at Sydney Intl.

I was scared about being left alone to face Derek and mad at you for leaving when I needed you most. But I think I'm gonna be okay. xx

And of course I care. You're my best friend, no matter what happens. You could die and I'd still consider you my best friend. Love you.

You quickly add,

And don't you dare look for anyone else at the airport. I'll be there. xx.

You collapse on Michael, and soon you're completely out.


	9. Hang In There, Chand

"Michael, wake up," you say, shaking him. He opens his eyes and smiles at you, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. You looked at him, and grinned.

"You left me on the couch and took the floor? You really are a prince!" you giggle, tearing off his blanket. "Come along, Clifford. We must wake the great and mighty Irwin and face another day of songwriting!"

He groans and you laugh, shaking Ashton. He's awake within minutes and you grab the full box of pop tarts from the kitchen pantry and plop it in the middle of the living room floor, grabbing one.

"Gosh, Chandler, what time is it?"

"6:30," you reply to Michael as you bite into your pop tart.

"Oh dear lord! You mean I can be sleeping?!" He makes a motion to fall back into the pillow and you stand up, pointing your pop tart at him furiously.

"Gordon, if you fall back asleep I swear to God I will freaking pelt you with this pop tart!"

Michael's eyes widen and Ashton begins to laugh at your fierce threat. Then Michael starts to giggle. You begin to laugh, too, and slowly all three of you fall into hysterics on your living room floor.

Your mum comes out of her room, and smiles. "Looks like you all had a good nights sleep," she comments as she heads for the coffee maker.

"Mum, can we amp the garage today? Please?" you say hopefully. Ashton looks up with puppy dog eyes and Michael joins you, pouting. She sighs.

"Normally I would say yes, but in case you forgot, school is starting in an hour."

You quickly turn to Michael and his eyes widen back at you. "Fudge, I forgot about the rest of life," you mutter, jumping up quickly. "Here, I'll call Cal to come pick us up," Ashton offers, dialing Cal. He showed up within five minutes.

"Chandler! Hurry up!" Michael calls upstairs. "I can't find anything to wear!" you call back, finishing up your eyeliner. Cal barges into your room, followed by Michael. "You raid the jeans, I'll find a top," Cal orders.

Michael comes back with a pair of tight black skinny jeans with severe distressing at the knees and Calum returns with a bright white Nirvana shirt.

After donning on Converse and a black baseball cap, you grab your backpack and run to Cal's car. You make it to school in record time.

Plopping into your seat with your usual vibrant springy step, you smile at Nara, and she gives you an approving nod. You roll your eyes as soon as she turns her back.

After third period, you snagged Derek into an empty hallway. "Oh. Hey, beautiful," he smiled seductively as he wrapped his arms around your waist. You smiled back, and sweetly say, "yeah, you thought. It's over Derek."

"What?" he looks at you with a confused expression, and you laugh. "Bye, loser," you spit out as you walk to lunch. Michael caught up with you in the line and you grinned at him, and he smiled back.

"Why are you so happy? I mean, you have the right to be, but, like, why?"

"I'm single," you reply, keeping a silly grin plastered onto your face.

"Hey! You broke up with Derek?!" Michael let out excitedly. A girl further back in the lunch line looked directly at you and shouted, "you did what, Chandler?" You didn't even know her, but you called back, "I dumped the sorry jerk, that's what!"

Soon the cafeteria is buzzing. Everyone's waiting for Derek to enter. And once he does, the crowd goes crazy. Everyone's laughing, and he immediately makes eye contact with you and your table. It consists of Aleisha, Calum, Ashton, and Michael.

He turns and walks out. You grin at Calum, who giggles like a little girl and high-fives you. "Man, I wish L-," you stop short and check yourself. "I sure wish we had all been here for that." you remark.

Ashton smiles sympathetically at you and nods. "Hey, only two more weeks, hang in there Chand."

You nod and sigh. Hang in there, Chand.


	10. That Was Wow

"Hey mum? I'm hanging out with Michael tonight!" you called into her area of the house. "Fine! Just call me when you're on your way home, sweetie!" "Bye, mum."

You walked over to Michael's house, and his mom answered. You smiled. Karen was so sweet. She was very supportive of everything Michael did. She encouraged the band with everything she had.

"Chandler! Sweetheart, come in. Michael's in the living room." You followed her to the familiar den, and Michael looked up from his paused video game.

"Daryl and I are leaving, so make sure he doesn't ignore you and play games all night, Chandler!" Karen winks and heads out the door with Michael's dad.

Michael grins at you, turning off the t.v. "What are you doing?" you ask, and he turns to you. "You want to play video games?" he asks you incredulously.

You grin and nod. "I suck at it, but I was hoping you could teach me!" Michael grins like an idiot as you hop onto the couch with him and he hands you a controller. He starts up a game of CoD and you sit there, fumbling with the controller.

You die within seconds, and Michael chuckles as you let out a whine. "That's no fair! Rematch! I don't even know how to use the controller!" you say, giggling. "Here, let me show you. This one's for moving, this one's for shooting, this one's for weapon changes, and this one's for reloading. And you wiggle this one around to change directions," he explains.

You nod, hoping you could remember. He restarts the game, and you die three more times before you drop the controller in your lap and cross your arms sassily. "I give up, you beat me."

"No, no, no," Michael says determined. "I'm set on making you win at least once. Here, let me help you," he says as you pick the controller back up. He starts the game and abandons his own controller.

He gently wraps his arms around your shoulders, placing his fingers on top of yours and pushing down when he needed to kill someone. You won within two minutes, and you giggled and turned around to smile at him.

You stopped and stared at him as soon as you turned. Your faces were centimeters from each other. You started to feel butterflies in your stomach. This wasn't supposed to happen, was it? But it was. You were sitting next to Michael and you were staring into his eyes. And it made you happy. Really really happy. It made you forget about Luke.

He looked at your lips and slowly leaned down, gently pressing his against your own. You closed your eyes and kissed him back, your heart soaring. You both broke the kiss, breathing for air.

"I'm sorry," Michael blushed profusely and looked down. "Don't be," you say quietly, "that was...wow."

You giggled and Michael smirked.

"I bet I'll beat you this time," you say, sticking out your tongue.

"Hey, don't stick it out unless you plan on using it," Michael retorts. You giggle and begin to play, and you lose quickly.

Michael laughs and you roll your eyes, blushing from embarrassment only slightly. He stands up. "I should probably drive you home. Ready?" you nod and call your mom, leaving her a message that you were on your way.

Michael dropped you off and smiled as you exited the car. "Hey, I'll pick you up at 2:00 tomorrow, okay?" he stated. You looked back down into the window, confused. "What's at 2:00 tomor-," you stop short. Tomorrow was August 25.

"Oh, yeah," you laugh it off smoothly. "See you tomorrow, Mikey!"

You walk into the house, and pull the covers over your passed out mother. Then head up to bed.

Tomorrow was going to be interesting.

And scary.


	11. Meltdown in Sydney Intl

You're fidgeting outside, on the porch, waiting for Michael to arrive. You look at your phone. 2:02. He's late.

After picking at the distressing on your black skinny jeans, and walking aimlessly along the sidewalk, Michael finally pulled up. It's was 2:10. "You're late," you remark as you hop in. "I know, sorry, my mum had an accident and I had to help."

You immediately felt terrible. "I'm sorry, Michael. Is Karen okay?"

"Yeah, she's fine. Just a really bad migraine today." you nod.

Michael's mum was subject to severe headaches and migraines, often causing her to pass out. You made a chatty drive to the airport, talking lightly with Michael, laughing and singing along to All Time Low.

You finally arrived at Sydney Intl. You looked at the entrance to the terminal and your stomach suddenly began to do backflips. The bad kind. The nervous kind, not the happy kind.

"Well that was unnecessary," you whisper to your stomach as you almost throw up in your mouth. What was going on with you? This was Luke, your best friend, you'd never been scared or nervous around him your entire life. You had known him since Diaper Days.

You tried to tell that to your stomach.

You walked into the terminal, holding Michael's hand and being slightly jittery. You looked around, and couldn't see anything.

"They're late. They've landed, but they haven't unloaded yet." Michael explains. You nod and try to sit still. Michael sat by you and after a little while placed his hand on your thigh.

You realized you'd been thumping your leg impatiently. "Sorry," you apologize, then look at your phone. "They should be here any second," Michael comments. You began to stand search for Luke among the crowd of passengers.

And then it happened. A flash of blonde messy hair came into view and you saw his screaming ocean blue eyes search the terminal. You didn't know what to do. Your feet were rooted to the ground. Then he made eye contact with you. "Oh my gosh," you saw him mouth.

He dropped his carry on in the middle of the terminal and your feet began to move. Both of you began to walk quickly, then broke into a sprint. Within seconds, you were caught up in Luke's arms, crying into his shirt. "Oh my gosh, Chandler. Oh my gosh," he breathed, holding you closer to him if that was even possible.

You cried harder, clutching at him and squeezing him, unable to let him go. "Don't ever leave me again, promise me," you sob into his shoulder. "I swear to God, Chandler, I will never leave you ever again," he whispers back to you.

You finally pull away and smile at him. He was so much darker, and his hair had bleached highlights from the sun. His eyes were a little watery, but they were still the unmistakeable ocean blue.

"I don't know how I survived without you," Luke says to you, looking at you and grinning. "I don't know how I let you go so easily," you respond regretfully, looking down in shame. "Hey," he says, lifting your chin up, "don't worry about that, it's over now. The important thing is keeping you safe."

You grinned. "No need. I broke up with Derek a week after you left."

Luke's eyes couldn't have gotten any bigger. You laughed and he let out a yell, picking you up and spinning you around.

He brought you back down and excitedly kissed you.


	12. The Photo

You rummage through the box of old, dusty, maroon photo albums. "Chandler? Chandler, where are you?"

"I'm in the attic, mum!"

You continue sifting through the boxes containing photo albums. You finally crossed the box that contained the photo album with a bright pink and blue cover.

It seemed weird to you that it wasn't dusty. You smiled. You ran your fingers across the raised letters that spelled out 'Luke & Chandler,' and stood up. You made your way to your room, flopping onto the bed.

You open the cover gingerly, and memories from your childhood flood your brain, there are baby pictures of the both of you, and you grin. Luke was a really chubby baby.

Pictures of the two of you in Halloween costumes, camping gear, bathing suits, and birthday party outfits littered the pages. You watched fascinated as you and Luke grew up together all over again. You had to remember to thank your mom for making this scrapbook.

You laughed at a funny picture of Luke convincing you to touch the fish he'd caught. You flashed back to the day you had gone camping with your dads.

Now it was a sad memory, your dad wasn't man enough to stay and provide for his family, he had walked out. Andy had pretty much taken his place.

The next page consisted of several photos from when you were both a little older, maybe 13. There were cute photos of you and the Lukester at a water park, you had both taken selfies in the pool and Luke had ended up dropping his. You giggled at the memory.

You turned the page, expecting the scrapbook to end. A couple of developed pictures fell out of the book, some were haphazardly glued to the page. Captions filled the space under the pictures.

"Chandler & Luke's first day of high school," "Luke's 16th birthday party," "First band practice," and a couple others. You sifted through the loose photos. Mum had been updating the scrapbook recently. She'd never forgotten over the years.

You returned to the loose photos. They were cute pictures of you and Luke asleep on the floor after your first Blink 182 concert, and the day you had both fallen off your skateboards and yours had split in half. Pictures of Calum, Michael, and Ashton were no where to be found. It was 100% you and Luke.

You came upon the last few pictures, and looked twice at the last one. It was a picture of you and Luke, the one someone had obviously taken at Sydney Intl. It was the picture of Luke kissing you.

"Mum!" you yell, tearing out of your bedroom with the photo. "Chandler, what is it?" she asks, setting a salad on the table. "Who took this? How did you get this?" you demand, shoving the picture in her face. She turns red.

"You weren't supposed to find that," she muttered, looking down. "Mum, tell me! Who took that picture? Jack? Liz? Andy? Michael?"

She sighed. "Liz took it. She said she wanted to capture the only smile Luke had during the entire vacation," she mumbled.

You looked at your mother blankly, not understanding. Well, more like not wanting to understand. "You mean Luke was just as miserable as I was?"

She nods. You shake your head. "Chandler, why was it so important for Luke to be here?"

You shake your head again. "Nothing important now. No reason."

"Did you two have a...a thing?"

You look sharply at your mother. "Mum, no, ew! Luke's my best friend, not my boyfriend! That's weird!"

She gave you a funny look, then chuckled. "How's the EP coming along?" she asked, abruptly changing the subject.

You didn't mind, your face automatically brightened at the mention of the band's big breakthrough. They had self-released their own EP about eight months ago, and now Capitol Records were signing them on for another one.

"The EP is going great, they just finished recording their new song."

"I still think it's absolutely ridiculous," your mum complained, "that they only let you listen to them record, and you're the only other human being who knows the track lists."

You grin. "Perks of being the bands' only best friend."

"Speaking of which, don't you have a band practice tomorrow at 4:30?" your mum asked, forking a mouthful of salad. "Yes, and tonight I'm having dinner at the Hemmings'. Wanna come?" you ask.

"Honey, I wish I could, and I already talked to Liz. But I'm afraid I have two staff meetings to attend tonight." You nod.

"It's okay, I understand."

"Thanks, sweetheart, speaking of which, I gotta run. Bye," she removes herself from the table and as she runs out the door, she yells back, "oh! I almost forgot, Michael called! Said he needed to talk to you!"

You heard the door slam and cringed. You had been avoiding Clifford all week. You'd been avoiding everyone all week.

You reluctantly called Michael back. He answered on the first ring.

"Hello?"

"Hey Michael...it's Chandler."

"Oh...hi. Your mom told you I called?"

"Yeah. What's up?" you say, trying to act casual.

"Um, I just wanted to see how you were doing. After meeting Luke at Sydney Intl. last week."

You bit your lip. "Look, Michael. It was a best friend, overly excited kiss. It wasn't anything serious. I still...I still really like you," you murmur into the phone.

You can hear Michael smiling. "I really like you, too," he murmurs back. You grin. A weight was lifted off your shoulders. Now if you could only convince yourself and the rest of your family that it was only a "best friend kiss," you'd be okay.

"Hey, I gotta run, maybe we can hang out this week?"

"Definitely. Wanna play more video games?" Michael giggles. You laugh. "Maybe we could play board games or something. I'm a villain at Monopoly."

"Ooh, my type of game. I'll see you on... Thursday?"

"Sounds great. Bye."

"Bye," and you heard a click.

You passed the kitchen table and the photo you had shoved in your mum's face caught your eye. You swiftly picked it up and moved to the trashcan. Then you stop. And really stare at the picture. It was honestly kinda cute. Luke looked really tall, and cute and the kiss looked real, as if you two were an actual-

No. Stop. You're not crushing on Luke. YOU. ARE. NOT. CRUSHING. ON. LUKE.

You shake your head and try to mentally rid yourself of such thoughts.

You shove the picture in the scrapbook, then take it out again. You pace back and forth across your room, clenching it in your hand. You finally place it on your dresser, sticking it into the crevice of your mirror.

You get ready for dinner with the Hemmings.


	13. Admit It, You Think I'm Hot

You stared at your phone screen as it lit up several times with Twitter notifications. You smiled as you sat in the middle of Lauren's piano recital. Ashton hadn't been able to make it, due to band stuff, so you had promised to cover for him.

Lauren was satisfied. The notifications were popping, making you aware of the fact that Luke, Ashton, Calum, and Michael had just been televised for the first time. You looked up at Lauren, after she had hit the last note of Canon in D.

You clapped softly, and she smiled and curtsied. She hurried to sit back beside you and you slid her your phone, and she squealed at the sight of her brother on television. You snapped a picture of Luke in mid performance and sent him the photo, with a message that said, "you're giving girls everywhere heart attacks!"

He quickly responded, "including you?" You turn beet red as the next kid begins Beethoven's Fifth. You respond, "uh,no." Your stomach regains the nervous butterflies that appeared when Luke saw you first at the airport.

Your phone lights up again and you read, "oh, come on, admit it, you think I'm hot." Maybe it was the fact that you and Luke were both almost 18, and practically legal for marriage, (even though that was totally irrelevant) or the fact that you had feelings for Michael...at least, you thought you had feelings for Michael.

Maybe it was just the awkwardness. But you felt flustered. Extremely flustered. You text back, "no, that's weird, you're my best friend." You see Luke texting back, and his first text comes through. "It's not weird." His second text came through and your breath catches in your throat, "I think you're hot."

"Who's that?" Lauren whispers, leaning in. You quickly lock your phone. "No one little Miss Nosy," you tease, and she giggles. You put up a finger to your mouth to shush her. You slyly shoot back, "well then in that case, yes, I think you're pretty hot," and smiled.

That made everything less tension-filled. Lauren pulled you out of the recital as it came to a close. You unlocked your car door, and backed out of the church parking lot. "So, is it Baskin Robbins or Braum's today, kiddo?" you ask her. "Let's go to KFC!" She responds and you smile. "Since its your special day, alright."

You make your way down the interstate and turn at the signs indicating the south side of Sydney. Pulling into the parking lot of KFC, you park and Lauren drags you through the front doors. You feel out of place, in a KFC with a sundress on.

"So, why did we come to KFC?" you ask her, and she turns back to you with a wrinkled forehead. "I don't know, it's the only restaurant that reminds me of Ashton. And I miss him." You feel a pang in your chest and smile at the love for Ashton radiating off of Lauren's little face. She loved her older brother so much.

He was like a father figure to her. It honestly was the sweetest thing you had ever seen. After grabbing a bucket of chicken, and some mac-n-cheese, you head back to the car and eat whilst you drive Lauren back to the Irwin's house. "What are you doing tonight, Chandler? Are you going to be home alone?" Lauren asks suddenly, and you turn to look at her.

"Nope, I'm going to go greet the boys at the airport." You purposefully didn't mention that you were also driving Michael home and spending the evening with him playing Monopoly. "Oh. Could I come with you?" she asks, looking at you pleadingly.

"Oh, Lauren, I wish you could. But security won't let you in without one of these," you say, holding up your clear hand clutch to reveal a license and verified terminal pass.

"Damn it," she muttered.

"Lauren!" you exclaim, giving her hand a little slap. "Where did you learn that language from?" Lauren's face turns red and she looks down. "Calum," she mutters. You roll your eyes, looking heavenward for a moment, offering up Calum's mouth to the Lord.

"Lauren, you know Ashton would be super disappointed to hear you say something like that," you admonish. She nods and looks up at you dejectedly. "You gonna tell him?" You sigh. "No, but try to keep it PG, ok? And don't listen to Cal. He needs to work on that."

"Yeah, he does. I'm sorry, Chandler."

"I forgive you, Lauren. Now, we should get you inside the house before Anne wonders where you've gone." you joked, dropping Lauren off. You made a quick jet to your house where you slipped out of the sundress.

You changed into the third pair of jeans Calum had convinced you to buy this week. They were light denim, with splotches of acid wash and were destroyed in the knees and the thigh. You were getting used to these pants, they were beginning to get really comfortable, actually.

You slipped on a Mayday Parade sleeveless shirt over your bandeau. It wasn't yours, it must've been Cal's or Luke's. Most likely Cal's. You gather your hair into a fishtail and stick a bandana on. Jumping back into the car, you drive to the airport, ready to meet your "hot," best friend.

 ***that last part was really lame but I didn't know how to finish the chapter sorry guys***


	14. They All Looked Psychotic

"Oh, right this way, Miss Erikson," the terminal attendant motions for you to walk through two thick double doors.

You follow him, and he points to two doors. "The young men should be coming through those two doors, with security," he says and you thank him.

After about five minutes, you hear a loud noise come from behind the doors, and recognize it as Ashton's monstrous kangaroo dialect.

"Calum, get off of me!"

You giggle as they open the doors and Michael makes eye contact with you. "Chandler!" he yells, running to you and picking you up in a hug.

"Michael!" you giggle, wrapping your legs around his waist and hugging him back.

"Alright, fork over the best friend, we all wanna hold her too," Calum pipes up. Michael laughs and hands you over to Calum, who hugs you and then Ashton grabs you and squeezes you, and finally he throws you into the arms of Luke, who giggles as you hug him and whispers in your ear, "so you think I'm hot, huh?"

You blush bright red. He was taking this way too seriously. "I'm pretty sure you said I was hot first," you whisper back, jumping onto the ground.

"Alright! Everyone, through the terminal of screaming fans and into my car," you say, laughing.

The boys make a mad dash for the doors, and you jump in front of them, blocking the terminal entrance. "Clifford, Hood, Hemmings, and Irwin," you say, crossing your arms, "you are celebrities. Not five year old girls. Now act like it." They nod playfully and you laugh, pushing the doors open with your butt.

A series of screams follows, and you jump into Calum's arms, terrified. There must be at least 500 girls in the terminal, ranging from ages 10-17. And they all looked psychotic.

"It's okay, Chand," Calum laughs nervously. You think he's still getting used to it, too.

He holds you close to him as all five of you walk through the terminal and into your carefully parked car. The screaming fans have died down and it's kind of quiet as you all board your car.

"Hey, what's this?" Luke asks. You turn to him in the passenger's seat and see the blue and pink scrapbook in his hands, and turn red.

"Oh, that's the uh..."

"Hey! This is our scrapbook, isn't it? I remember this!" Luke exclaims, his face lighting up. He opens it and closes it quickly.

"Well why'd you do that?" Ashton asks from the back.

"There are baby pictures. That I forgot about." Luke says calmly.

"Here, let me see," and Calum snatches the scrapbook before Luke can protest. "Aww, look there's little Chandler, she's so cute," Ashton coos.

They flip through the scrapbook on the ride home, making remarks about you getting fitter and Luke getting uglier.

"Hey, look, it's my hand!" Michael exclaims, pointing to the band practice photo.

"Um, no, that's my hand," Ashton counters, looking disdainfully at Michael. They begin an argument about who's hand is in the photo.

"I can't believe you guys didn't invite us to that Blink concert," Calum says enviously, glaring into the rear view mirror. "Well sorry that your birthday isn't in July and your parents don't love you," you respond playfully.

He laughs and Luke smiles at you. Your stomach needs to calm down, these butterflies are getting out of control. It's just your best friend.

"So, who's first?" you asked, turning into your neighborhood. Ashton ended up being first, then Calum, then Luke.

"Hey, I almost forgot! Hold on, Chandler, I need to give you something. Stay here," Luke says as you drop him off.

You stay parked, while Michael transfers to the front seat. Luke sprints into his house and comes back within minutes to hand you an envelope. "Open it when you get home," he says, and gives you a window hug. "Bye."

You drop the envelope onto the floor underneath your feet and back up, turning onto Michael's street.

"Are you ready to get your butt kicked at Monopoly?" you giggle.

"Oh, getting a little bit overly confident of ourselves, are we?" He grins, opening the front door.

You both laugh and get settled on the living room floor.

"That's no fair! How did you win off all my properties?" Michael exclaims, looking at you in wonder.

"I don't tell my secrets, that's how I lose," you smile.

"Oh, come on. I gotta know. Please," he gives you his puppy dog eyes and you cave. "Fine, all I do is buy the railroads. They make the most money."

You shrug and he shakes his head in amazement. "You know, it's cute when guys lose. Shows a sense of humility," you remark.

Michael grins at you and raises an eyebrow. "Humility is cute?"

"Very," you say, giggling. He smiles softly and leans in to kiss you. It's a quick kiss, and it's sweet. It takes away your breath for a second. "I should be getting home," you say, glancing at the stove which read 10:46.

"You're right. Bye, Chand."

"Bye, Mikey. Goodnight," you say, seeing yourself out the door.


	15. You Don't Like Him, You Love Him

"Lucas Robert Hemmings, if you don't put me down, so help me God, I will pee on everything you love in this world!" you scream.

He laughs and responds, "That would be nasty. You would pee on yourself?"

You stopped giggling and held your breath for a quick second. It definitely wasn't all that romantic, but Luke had just admitted to loving you. It was weird, and he continued to haul you on top of his broad shoulders across the yard, while Liz swept in and out of the house, piling food on a table and smiling at the both of you.

"Luke, I'm serious, if you go anywhere near that pool," you say, trailing off as you try to desperately tighten your bathing suit strings.

"Oh, don't worry. If you go in, I'm going in with you." Luke assures you, chuckling as you wriggle in his grasp once more.

"No, I'm not going in at all," you say, gritting your teeth and writhing playfully.

"Think again," Luke whispers right before he flops you over his shoulder into freezing cold water. You feel a rush of exhilaration and pop back up over the surface to see Luke coming up as well, his crazy blonde hair filled with water.

He smirks and laughs.

"L-L-Lucas! You are in s-so much t-t-trouble! I'm t-telling your m-mum about this," you stutter out, shivering in the water, standing on your tiptoes to stay above the surface.

He laughs and pulls you into his arms, resting his chin on your head and wrapping his arms around you, giving you a warmth that lasts for a couple of seconds. It ends when you hear a flash, and turn around to see Liz escaping back into the house through the back door.

"I hate it when they take those pictures," you mumble, and Luke looks at you with his eyebrows raised.

"What do you mean, 'those pictures'," he asks.

"Oh, nothing. I was just talking to myself," you say, avoiding eye contact.

"By the way, did you ever open the envelope?" Luke asks you, and you close your eyes.

"No, Luke, I completely forgot. I'm sorry. I'll do it tonight."

His eyes look a little darker, like he's hurt, but he quickly bounces back. "Come on, looks like dinner's ready."

You quickly wrap yourself in a towel, and sit in a patio chair around a glass table heaped with burgers, homemade fries, tubs of fruit, tubs of ice cream. It honestly was a treat; eating with the Hemmings.

"Thanks, Liz. This looks amazing," you say, grabbing a burger and plopping it onto your plate. She smiles at you and dinner continues, with Andy making funny jokes, Liz telling stories about work, and Luke and yourself having a grape-throwing contest.

"Ow! That's no fair, it hit my nose," you say, rubbing the tip of your nose and scowling.

"Aw, is Chandler hurt? Does she need Luke to kiss it and make it better?" he teases.

Your giggling stops and Luke's eyes open a little wider and he coughs and turns back to his plate, and you do likewise. Why was everything all of a sudden getting so awkward?

"Mum, it's like we grew up so suddenly. It's like a big wall came up between us and now we can't be Luke and Chandler anymore," you say sadly to your mother once she arrived home from work later that night.

She rubs your back. "Sweetie, I know it's hard. Once you turn this age, things become different, you're not cute little innocent five year olds anymore."

"That's just it!" you explode, turning to face your mother full-on. "We _are_ still five year olds! We're the same on the inside, we just grew up!"

Your face screws up and you're on the brink of tears, but you blink them back. "Well, it doesn't sound like Luke on the inside is still five. He sounds like he's gotten a little mushy."

You groan. "Mum, I know. And I'm not doing anything to make him stop," you scowl.

"Do you want him to stop?" she asks quietly.

You internally curse at yourself for even bringing up the subject of the darned Luke Hemmings. This is exactly what you didn't want to happen. You might have to talk about the slight attraction you have to your best friend.

You bury your head in your hands and wail, "I don't know! No...yes...well, not really...no!"

She chuckles and your face burns. "Chandler Violet, I think you have feelings for your best friend."

I roll my eyes, "Yeah, well the best thing for those feelings right now is to tear them into pieces and stuff them in an envelope, and then burn the env-," you stop mid sentence, remembering the white plain envelope that's sitting on the floorboard of your driver's seat.

"Sweetheart, don't think these feelings are bad. They're perfectly normal," your mum says, looking at you.

"What? What is it?" she asks, seeing the glossed over look of your eyes.

"I have to go grab something," you say, dashing outside, opening the car door, and grasping the envelope.

It's clenched between your fingers. You sit back down on the couch and your mother looks at you, asks you what the envelope's for.

"It's from Luke," you whisper quietly. She nods and leaves you on the couch, retreating to her own room for you to open the envelope alone.

Your breath is ragged from running to the car, and you shakily slit a nail under the flap. A picture flutters out, and you gasp.

It's the same picture. The picture resting in the crevice of your bedroom mirror. The one of you and Luke kissing at the airport.

You shake the envelope, and nothing else falls out. You flip the picture over to see an inscription written in blue crayon. "I told you he's still a five year old, mum," you mutter to yourself.

 _Chand,_

 _Thought this would make you smile._

 _Hope you know I love you more than anything._

 _Luke xx._

You breath slowly, and your mom walks over to see the contents of the envelope. She sighs and walks away, saying goodnight.

You lay on the couch, pulling the pink and blue scrapbook off of the coffee table and opening it to a blank page. You place the picture in the center, and stare up at the ceiling, falling asleep to the rhythmical beat of your own heart.

"Chandler! Chandler, wake up! It's Michael!"

Your eyes blink open slowly, and your mum's face comes into focus.

"Michael? What's Michael doing here?" you mutter, groping at the scrapbook still on your lap and snapping it closed.

"He wanted to see you. But you're not ready," your mum explains, and laughs. "It's fine, he won't care."

You turn red, and look up to see Michael grinning in the entry way.

"Hey, Gordon," you say sleepily. He laughs and walks into the living room, sitting on the couch by your legs, letting you stay horizontal.

"What's up, gorgeous?" he asks, rubbing circles on the back of your hand with his thumb.

You could see your mum raise her eyebrows, and you rolled your eyes and responded, "not much. I'm glad you came over. I was bored."

"You mean you were asleep," he corrects you and you giggle. "Yeah, same thing," you respond.

"So what does the day look like for you?" you ask him, looking up into his green eyes.

"Well, there's a studio session at around 11:00. Thought you'd like to come."

"What time is it?"

"10:15."

"Oh gosh. Maybe I should stay home," you say, looking down at

your now intertwined fingers. You partially didn't feel like getting up and getting dressed, and you also didn't want to meet Luke at a studio session if Michael was the one who invited you.

He squeezes your hand gently and whispers dramatically, "but I want you to come with me!"

You laugh and whisper back, "but that means so much work!"

He rolls his eyes and sighs. "Fine, you win this time Chandler Violet, but next time, I'll carry you over my shoulder if I have to!"

You giggle and roll your eyes back at him. "Maybe. But right now I just want to eat a pop tart and maybe sleep some more. Or rewatch the recorded episode of Good Morning America that I've watched at least five thousand times already," you giggle, referring to the boys' first televised appearance.

"That sounds better than studio," Michael sighs, and you lean up so he can kiss you on the nose. "Go do great things to further the music industry, my little band member."

"Yes, master. Bye, Ms. Erikson," Michael adds as he head out the front door.

You can hear your mom sighing in the kitchen and you hop up and enter the kitchen, and she arches an eyebrow.

"I know what you're about to say, and I just didn't have the guts to tell you about Michael last night, mum. But I don't know if I like him like I like Luke."

"You don't like Luke, you love him," she responds matter of factly, removing herself from the kitchen.

You stand there, staring at the space she left in the kitchen chair.


	16. Author's Note!

Hey guys!

Just a heads up, it's really hard for me to portray Michael and Luke's feelings in here, so I've decided to take up different POVs. Just to let you know. Review! I really want to know what ya'll think!

slowlysinking13


	17. Threesome With Ben & Jerry

It's really dark, and you're super grateful for the street lamps. You make your familiar way to Luke's house, and knock timidly on the door. It's super humid and hot, and you pull your hair up with a hand and fan your neck with the other. Liz opens the door and smiles.

"Liz! Hi, is Luke ho- oh. Hi," you say as Luke appears from the living room.

He runs a hand through his messy blond hair and smiles.

"Hi. Come in."

You nod, and step across the front door threshold.

Luke takes your hand and you follow him down the hallway to his room. You both enter, and he clears a stack of random clothes off his bed and you sit down, saying nothing.

He takes a seat beside you, and sits in silence as well.  
You sit there for a good ten minutes, just staring at your hands until you look over at him and he starts up, looking directly at you.

"You're probably wondering why I'm here," you say.

He nods patiently.

"Um, I guess...I don't know. This is really awkward for me to explain." You look back down quickly at your hands, and he chuckles.

"Chandler, you watch R rated movies with my family and fart whenever you feel like it during dinner at my house. What could possibly be too awkward to talk about?"

You giggle and look up at your best friend, who's face lights up because he's made you laugh.

"Remember that time when I accidentally burped during dinner and it was the first time your parents invited Michael's parents over? His mom thought I was Liz's daughter and Liz was mortified!" you laugh. Luke cracks a grin and you smile at how cute he is.

Then you remember why you came. It becomes serious again, and you feel more awkward.

"Luke, the reason I came here to talk is because...well, I understand if you don't feel the same way, because we've been best friends for our whole lives, and I know it'd be weird, I guess, and you don't have to like me back, but I really really like you and-,"

Your rant is cut short by Luke's lips. You smile into his kiss and he pulls away and smiles back.

"I do like you, Chandler. You're perfect for me, and I think you're beautiful beyond words. About the whole Derek thing, I didn't want you to get hurt and-,"

"Don't even mention his name," you groan and Luke nods. He takes your hand and smiles at you.

"Hey, Michael is supposed to come over in like, ten minutes to play FIFA. Do you want to stay?" Luke asks you, and you freeze from leaving the bed.

"Luke, there's something else I came to talk to you about."

"Sure, what is it?"

His blue eyes are so full of happiness and contentment, and you open your mouth to tell him the truth about Michael. Just the thought of his eyes turning to ice once more because of you felt like your heart was being shredded to bits, and you shake your head.

"Oh, nothing, I guess you covered it with Derek, it's fine," you fake a smile and he reiterates his question about Michael and FIFA.

"I'm gonna go home, okay?"

"Alright. Goodnight, Chandler."

He gives you a quick kiss and leads you out the door.

 _ **Michael's POV**_

You picked up the control and settled onto the couch in Luke's game room, waiting for him to stop rambling about Chandler and get the game started.

In all honesty, you needed to talk to Chandler soon. Luke had some funny idea that Chandler had agreed to be his girlfriend or something, and you needed to set him straight, but you didn't feel like getting in a fight with your best friend right now.

Calming Luke down enough to start a game, you wonder why Chandler hadn't told Luke about the relationship she had with you. You weren't going out yet, obviously, but you thought she would tell Luke of all people. He was her best friend.

Not only that, what if Chandler didn't take the relationship the way he did? She might think it's all a game. Or fun. What if she wasn't serious?

But she was serious. Of course she was serious. She assured you that the kiss wasn't a serious one, and that she really liked you.

So why was Luke rambling about his new 'girlfriend'?

"Dude, did you actually ask her out?" you ask, slightly disgusted but trying to hide it.

"Well, no...but-,"

"Dude, then drop it. Can we just play the game?"

"But, Michael, we-,"

"Luke, just play the game!" you say roughly, not wanting to talk about it any more.

Luke looks strangely at you. You focus on the television screen, and ignore him. He sighs and turns to pick a field.

 ** _Chandler's POV_**

Well, this could be disastrous. Maybe you should have stayed at Luke's. Most likely, he wouldn't have told Michael about your 'confessions,' if you had been there. There wasn't any way of telling what he'd do if you weren't.

Maybe Luke would be wise and shut his mouth. All you could do was pray.

And focus on your threesome.

With Ben & Jerry, not Luke & Michael.

You turn on the t.v., not bothering to flip the channels and blazed through three episodes of Friends before your mum got in from her late shift.

"Honey, you're still up?"

"Yeah," you respond, sticking your spoon into the carton and drawing up a dollop of vanilla, Luke's favorite.

"Why the ice cream and sappy t.v. show?" your mum asks, trailing her eyes to the t.v. and back to your half-eaten carton.

"I told Luke how I felt about him."

"Oh, honey, he didn't-,"

"He likes me too. We're dating."

"Chandler, that's wonderful!"

You stare at Phoebe and Ross's frozen faces on the screen and reply, "Yeah, I guess it is."

"You guess?"

"Mum, Luke doesn't know about Michael."

You turn to look at your mother, whose face has drawn a blank.

"Oh Chandler."


	18. Yeah, I Guess I Am

Saturday morning, you wake up to find a customary note on the microwave. With fifty dollars.

 _Hey Chandler:  
Hope things work out. Don't forget to go shopping for that music festival. I have work that weekend, so use the extra ticket on somebody. Sorry honey. Have a great day!  
-Mum_

Sighing, you crumple the note and contemplate on who you're gonna take to the music festival. It's this coming up Friday through Sunday, and you want to spend it with someone who preferably wasn't Michael or Luke. Somebody like...

The doorbell rings and you look down at the oversized Warped Tour tshirt. Hopefully it wasn't someone important at the door.

Making your way out of the kitchen and quickly raking fingers through your wavy hair, you open the front door. You're face to face with a bright eyed and bushy tailed Ashton. A grin spreads across your face, and he smiles and steps across the doorway to wrap you in a hug. Giggling and motioning for him to come in, you close the door and lead the way back into the kitchen, pulling the jug of chocolate milk from the fridge.

"I hear you're all alone on the weekends these days," Ashton comments, his eyes widening excitedly at the sight of the milk jug.

You let out a puff of a laugh.

"Yeah, I guess I am."

"I also hear you're the newly announced girlfriend of the locally infamous Luke Hemmings," he states smoothly, raising an eyebrow.

You stop mid-pour and look up at him with a "caught red handed" look.

"Yeah, I guess I am," you let out more quietly this time.

"Chandler, how in the world did that happen?" he asks quietly, taking the glass you hand him.

"I don't know. I guess it just did."

Wow. That was sappy.

"Is that what you're gonna tell Michael when he asks you? It 'just did,'?"

This was getting out of hand. Tears were starting to well up in your eyes, and you tried your best to disguise them while pouring your own glass of milk.

"Hey, Chandler, don't cry now. I didn't mean to come over here and interrogate you. Gosh, I'm a prick," Ashton rambles.

You look up to see him rubbing the back of his neck with one hand.

You shake your head and blindly respond, "Don't say that Ash, I understand where you're coming from. I don't know what to do," you whimper, and he pulls you into the living room, setting you on the couch and pulling you into a hug.

You cry into his shirt for a few minutes, his large hands rubbing your back soothingly.

"Is that Luke's Warped Tour shirt?" Ashton lets a little laugh out.

You look down through blurry vision to see that yes, indeed, it is Luke's shirt.

"I think you own more of Luke's clothing than Luke does," Ashton laughs.

"Actually, I have three of your shirts in the laundry right now. I'll go get them," you respond, smirking and wiping your eyes.

"Don't. I won't miss them. Besides, I think all of us agree that you look adorable in our clothes," he grins.

He rubs the back of his neck once more, and stands up from the couch.

"Well, I'd love to stay, but I have a shift in an hour. I'll see you later?"

"Actually," you say, looking over at the two festival tickets on the counter, "I was wondering if you wanted to go to a music festival with me this coming up weekend?"

Ashton's face lights up in surprise. "Of course! It's that one in Laneydale, right? Friday through Sunday?"

You nod happily, and lead Ashton to the door.

"I'll see you on Tuesday?" he looks back over his shoulder.

You give him a confused look.

"I don't know, I didn't think-,"

"I'm having a day with you. I want to go to that coffee shop you love. Wanna talk."

You smile and nod. "Thanks, Ashton. That means a lot."

"Just being a good big brother." He grins and steps onto the porch, pulling you into a hug.

"Later, Chandler."

Slipping back into the house, you flip on the t.v. and grin at an interview of the boys that was being replayed. It must've been really popular to be back on Hollywood Hotwire.

 _*on screen*_

 _Int. : "So, you guys, who does most of the songwriting?"_

 _Luke: "Actually, Calum and Michael do the majority, really."_

 _Int. : "Are you working on an album?"_

 _Michael: "I'd love to tell you yes, but I don't know if we're allowed to tell you. Are we allowed to say that yet?"  
*laughs*_

 _Calum: *facepalms* "Oh my gosh, Michael."_

 _Int. : *laughs* "No, it's okay. Do you boys have any special people in your lives?"_

 _Ashton : "I'm sure we'd all like to say our parents and family, they definitely have been a big part of encouraging us in our endeavors."_

 _Luke: "Also, we'd like to mention our best friend Chandler Erikson, she's been a huge encouragement. She's been in the studio with us for hours. Actually, she made a cameo in the She Looks So Perfect video."_

 _*Calum and Ashton chuckle*_

 _Int. : "Speaking of videos, the She Looks So Perfect video was a huge hit. And the Don't Stop video comes out next month, doesn't it?"_

You shut off the t.v. and sigh. She was right, the video came out next Wednesday. It would be a big day for the boys. There was a signing in downtown Sydney, and then they'd be gone for three days to the U.K and Canada. After that, within a matter of a week, they began the music video for Amnesia.

You'd be dealing with a bunch of alone time. Maybe they could smuggle you in. You'd ask Luke.

Slipping on some frayed shorts, a pair of Birkenstocks and an oversized sleeveless, you hop into the car and drive directly to Anthropology, a famous store for all things vintage, boho, and hipster.

Nabbing a tie dye top and some beaded shorts, you're browsing for a headpiece when you hear a loud, obnoxious giggle. It sounds really familiar. Swirling around, you catch a perfect view of Nara Patton leaning on the muscular arm of none other than Derek.

Quickly turning back around, you snatch a headband and run to the check out counter, laying the fifty dollar bill in the hand of the cashier. She stuffs your purchases in a bag and hands them to you, smiling politely.

Nodding your thanks, you dart out of the store and in the opposite direction, looking back to make sure Derek and Nara were unaware of your presence. A sudden impact from another body sends your bag of clothes airborne and you fall on top of the stranger.

"Chandler!?" The surprised voice yells, making you cringe. Looking back quickly to see Derek and Nara staring at you, you groan and turn around to face a shocked Calum. You immediately brighten.

"Cal! What are you doing here?"

"I just thought I'd browse around, I was free today. How about you?"

"Same! Come on, let's go get lunch or something. On me. Subway sound good?"

Calum's face brightens, he picks up your Anthropology bag and locks arms with you.

"I'm glad I found you, Chandler. I don't like thinking of you being alone. Not after this summer."

The memory of Luke leaving you to wallow in your own guilt and self-pity sends a temporary sinking feeling to your gut, but it's lifted when Calum sends a quick kiss to your temple.

"Thanks, Cal."


End file.
